Infinite Ether
by MaxGentlman1
Summary: Two months after Marco's band abandoned him, deep in depression he meets a girl that helps him regain his smile. What follows is a plan for revenge involving a new band, new friends, and new relationships.
1. Putting A Twist On Things

**Welcome one and all to my new story! This is an AU where magic doesn't exist, Marco was in a band, and he's no longer the safe kid. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!**

 **Marco: Lead Singer/Guitarist and Band Manager.  
Star: Backup Vocals.  
Penn: Rhythm Guitarist.  
Sashi: Bass.  
Dipper: Keyboard.  
Wendy: Drums.**

* * *

It was so recent, and yet it felt so long ago. It hasn't even been two months since they left him. He thought they were his friends. His companions. His band. But after a single gig gone wrong, the whole lot of them decided that it was all his fault. His fault that everything went wrong. He tried to tell them that it was nobody's fault, but after they abandoned him to form their own band and everyone at school began to bully him for what happened, he began to believe it himself.

Now here Marco was, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. He turned his head to look at his phone and read the time. 1:30 PM. To late to head to school now. Deciding that he's done enough moping about for the time being, Marco got up from his bed and went to the bathroom and got a shower. Coming back to his room, he dried his hair with the towel and ditched it on his bed before opening his drawer to get clothes.

Usually, he'd dress up in his usual jeans, white shirt, and red hoodie. But not today. Today, he decided to try something new. He put on a pair of black jeans, a white muscle t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. After getting dressed, he went back over to his chest of drawers and opened the top-left drawer where his socks were kept. Moving the socks aside, he found what he was looking for: His butterfly knife.

Taking it from the drawer, he unlocked it and flipped it open before flipping it closed again and tucking it into his pocket. Grabbing his wallet and house keys from his bedside table, he headed down the stairs and left out the front door, not bothering to announce his leaving since his parents were out of town on business. He didn't exactly know where he was going, just that it was anywhere but school or home.

He walked along the sidewalk for nearly half an hour before he came to a place that he'd never been before. It was some kind of restaurant with a large sign up front that read "Jack Rabbit Slim's", like the restaurant from Pulp Fiction. Hearing his stomach rumble, he decided to give this place a shot. Heading inside, sure enough the place looked almost identical to the one from Pulp Fiction. The booths were modeled after 50's style cars, the music was playing from a jukebox in the corner that was next to a small dance floor, and the smell of fresh cooked burgers and fries was in the air.

After being seated in an old-fashioned Mustang by a Marylin Monroe lookalike, Marco made his order and waited. After about ten or so minutes, his food finally arrived and he was surprised at how good it looked. The burger was large and looked to be made using fresh vegetables as well as quality meat, the fries were a good size with the perfect amount of salt on them, and his milkshake looked heavenly. It was a large vanilla milkshake with whipped cream, crushed M&M's, and a cherry on top. He couldn't help but stare at the beautiful meal before him before he had his thoughts interrupted by a voice from behind him.

"Are you often mesmerized by your food?" A female voice asked.

Turning around, Marco was met with a long-haired blonde girl with a wide grin wearing a blue dress, red stockings with purple stripes, and rosy cheeks.

"W-what? N-no," Marco stuttered a bit nervously, causing the blonde girl to giggle at his awkwardness.

"I'm just messing with you. Do you, um, mind if I sit with you?" She asked.

Marco looked at her for a moment, giving her a quick once over before shrugging.

"Sure, I don't see why not."

"Cool, thanks," She said, sitting opposite him on the other side of the table, "Star Butterfly. Nice to meet you," She said, sticking out her hand.

"Marco Diaz, the nice is all mine," He said with a smirk, shaking the blonde's somewhat dainty hand.

One of the things that Marco noticed about Star's meal was that it seemed to be the exact opposite of his. While he had a normal hamburger, she had a cheeseburger. Where he had steak fries, she had shoestring fries. And where he had a vanilla shake with crushed M&M's, she had a chocolate shake with crushed Reese's Pieces. The one thing the two meals had in common: They were both genuinely handmade.

* * *

After about an hour of lengthy Seinfeldian conversations combined with eating their now dinner, Star and Marco were exchanging heartfelt laughter and sincere compliments. Then the former realized something.

"You know something, Marco? You're a really awesome guy. I really mean that. You're smart, funny, cool. I don't know why your band mates left you."

At the mention of his old band, Marco grew silent and a small look of sorrow grew on his face.

"Because if you knew me a couple of months ago, you'd have thought I was a screw-up and a loser."

"Hey, you are NOT a loser. Like I said, you are smart, cool, and a total badass," She said with a smile.

This caused Marco to smile a bit at this before he answered.

"You know, some people would argue that cool and badass are one in the same," He smirked.

"You know what I mean," Star said with a chuckle.

"... You know what? I think you're right, Star," Marco said with a smile.

"No, I'm just not wrong," She said with an equally sized smile.

Marco was honestly surprised by today's events. Him talking with a girl he had just met and talking as if they had been friends for ages. He honestly wishes he had met her so much sooner than today. She just had a way of putting a spin on things that made them better. All of a sudden however, Star got up from her seat.

"Come on," She said, holding out her hand.

"What's going on?"

"I'm about to show you how to make mistakes, have fun... put a twist on things," She said with a wide smile, grabbing Marco by the hand and dragging him over to the dance floor before she went over to the jukebox. After selecting a song, an R&B/Soul instrumental by Michel Legrand, she came back to the dance floor and stood next to Marco.

"Just follow my lead," She said as the record was put in place under the needle and the music started to play.

Star started to do some kind of line dance which she called The Madison Dance. The steps seemed to be easy enough: Snap your fingers to the beat, side-steps, jump, a rough swing, and repeat. By the middle of the song, the duo's sudden dance sequence drew the eyes of most of the customers' attentions and they started to cheer them on. By the song's fade out, everybody from employee to customer applauded the two's wonderful performance. The two looked at each other in slight surprise at the applause but shrugged, took each others hand, and gave a bow to their audience before paying their check and leaving the restaurant.

* * *

The duo made their way back to Marco's house, continuing their many conversations about nothing. When they finally made it to Marco's front door, he turned toward her and smiled.

"I really gotta thank you, Star," He said.

"What for?"

"For showing me a good time."

At that, Star grew a sly grin and leaned towards him a bit.

"Did I? Did I really?" She whispered, leaning in further, her lips making contact with Marco's.

Marco jumped in surprise at first, but slowly began to melt into the kiss. Her lips... they tasted of... Honeysuckle and roses. It was the greatest feeling he had ever felt, and it was from a girl who he had only known a few hours. Kissing this girl, it felt so... liberating. As if all of the cares of the world melted away when their lips touched. They soon broke apart with Star nuzzling against his neck before leaning into his ear.

"Your room?" She asked with a wide grin.

"My room," Marco replied, opening his door without looking as the two locked lips once again. This time, rather than being slow, it was fast and passionate. When they were led inside the house, they broke their chains and didn't hold back.

* * *

The two lied in Marco's bed, panting for breath, tired after two tiring yet VERY worthwhile hours of "exercise".

"Wow," was all Marco could get out as he stared at the ceiling, Star cuddled up against his chest, a satisfied grin on her face.

"Yep," was all Star said, adjusting herself to get more comfortable, wrapping one of her legs around Marco's.

"That was..." Marco trailed off, his words failing him.

"Amazing? Spectacular? Ultimate?" Star suggested as possible adjectives.

"You really think it was that good?" Marco asked.

"Totally," Star said, rubbing her head against his chest affectionately.

"Glad I can make someone happy," He said, kissing the top of her head.

"Same here," She said as the two drifted off to sleep.


	2. Meeting The Gang

Marco began to stir from his sleep, slowly opening his eyes when he noticed a very familiar smell: The smell of eggs and bacon. The kind mom would make. He then noticed that Star wasn't in bed with him anymore. Suddenly, the door opened and he was treated to a sight that caused him to form a lump in his throat. There, standing in the doorway, was Star holding a plate of eggs and bacon, wearing nothing but her underwear and stockings, her breasts covered by Marco's leather jacket. Seeing Marco's reaction to her outfit, Star gave him a smirk.

"Like what you see?" She asked.

"No, I like what you do," Marco said, returning the smirk.

"You're really sweet, you know that?" Star asked, walking over to the bed and placing the plate of food between them.

"No, you are. Trust me, I've had a taste," Marco said, still smirking and causing Star to giggle. They leaned forward and gave each other a small kiss. However, that small kiss soon escalated into full on making out. Marco's hand began to slowly wander down her cheek, passed her neck, and began to massage her breast, causing Star to hitch her breath.

"Think we have time? We still have school, you know?" Star asked with a smile.

"Some things are more important. Like you for example," Marco said, kissing her neck and moving the plate over to the bedside.

* * *

After about an hour, the duo got dressed and ate their breakfast before heading out to school. Apparently, Star went to the same school as Marco. It's amazing how he'd never seen her before. They walked up to the front door and walked through. However, they were immediately grabbed by the backs of their collars and pulled to a stop.

"And where have you two been?" Asked a female voice.

Turning around, they were met with a tall African-American woman with a large, square afro and an hourglass figure. This was Ms. Garnet, the school's vice principal.

"Well?" She asked, her tone and posture firm and stoic.

"Uh, we, uh..." Marco stuttered trying to come up with an excuse.

"We, uh, slept in and missed the bus, so we had to walk all the way here," Star said quickly.

"Yeah, that's exactly what happened," Marco added.

Garnet stood there with her hand to her chin, silently thinking over their excuse before she started nodding.

"Mhm, mhm, yes. I believe you," The two sighed in relief...

"But it's not gonna save you," Then sighed in grief. Things had took a turn for the worse.

"But why?" Star scratched her head.

"Because in spite of your ambitious alibi, Mr. Diaz and Miss Butterfly..." The duo both shared surprised swivels (another word for glance) and then jutting jaws once Miss Garnet suddenly smirked,

"I only believe the real reason you two are late." Witnessing a witty wink, the two were reduced to a mumbling mess.

Miss Garnet then reverted back to her stoic surface expression and crossed her arms, "Detention. Both of you."

"Oh, what?" Star complained.

"Now?" Marco agreed.

"Now." Miss Garnet swiftly, smoothly, and strictly stated as she pointed down the hallway and stared deadly daggers at the duo, who swiftly sped off. Yes, they were tightly tough on their own and when together, but they both knew that Miss Garnet was a true force to be reckoned with. They started walking with her following close behind. Surprisingly though, they passed the detention room and kept walking.

"The detention room is at capacity so you're going to be spending your time in the music room with a few others," Garnet explained before stopping in front of the room and opening it with a key.

Walking inside, Star and Marco were met with the gaze of four other teens. Two boys and two girls. The boys comprised of a short brown haired boy wearing a blue cap with a pine tree on the front and a tall, ginger haired boy with a blue and white sweater with a zero on the front. The girls comprised of an Asian girl with two ponytails with golden highlights and a purple dress and a very tall red head wearing a green corduroy shirt and jeans.

"You're to remain here until the end of the day. Try to get some work done," Garnet said, shutting the door behind her and locking it from the outside.

Star and Marco turned back to the other students in the room when a smile grew across Star and their faces.

"Woo, Star B-Fly in the house!" The tall ginger girl exclaimed.

"We were wondering when you'd show up," The boy in the pine tree hat said.

"Who's the new guy?" The Asian girl asked.

"This is Marco, my new boyfriend," Star said, hugging Marco's arm with a wide smile.

"Nice," The ginger-haired boy spoke up, "How long have you two been together?"

"Since yesterday," She said simply.

"Wait a second. Star, you know these guys?" Marco asked, receiving a cough from the girls, "And girls," He corrected.

"Sure, these are my friends," She stated simply,"This is Mason Pines, though we just call him Dipper, and his girlfriend, Wendy Corduroy," She introduced, pointing to the boy in the hat and the tall ginger girl.

"Nice to meet you," Wendy said simply, waving at the Hispanic boy.

"And this is Penn Zero and his girlfriend, Sashi Kobayashi," Star continued, pointing to the ginger-haired boy and the Asian girl.

"Sup," Penn said, waving at Marco.

"And together we are 'Infinite Ether'!" Star exclaimed, throwing her arms up, making the "Rock On" gesture with her hands. Needless to say, this surprised Marco quite a bit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. You guys are a band?" Marco asked, clearly confused.

"Not exactly. We're a band in the making," Wendy explained.

"All we need is another guitarist and we'll be good to go," Penn added.

"That's where you come in, Marco," Star said.

"Me? Why me?" He asked.

"You were a member of the biggest band in the entire town. You have the most experience," Dipper said.

"Yeah, till those assholes kicked me out after one bad gig," Marco replied bitterly, "I'm not gonna have that happen again. Especially when I'm being asked to join a band of detentionaires."

"Marco, they're not that bad. Really," Star said.

"Oh really? What are you guys in for?" Marco said skeptically.

"Beating up a guy for trying to rob a freshman," Wendy said simply.

"Drug possession on school grounds," Dipper said.

"Fucking in the janitor's closet," Sashi said simply.

"Really wish you'd phrase that better, Sash," Penn said.

"Yeah, I'm outta here," Marco said simply as he went for the door, trying in vain to open it.

"Marco, please, will you just hear us out?" Star asked, grabbing him by the arm.

"No, I'm not getting involved with another band. Not after the last time."

"It won't be like last time. We're not them. Please."

As Marco and Star argued, a thought popped into Dipper's head and a smirk grew on him lips.

"Let him go, Star," He said, "He's too scared to play."

These words seemed to strike a chord with Marco as he immediately froze.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me. You're scared. It's either that or you can't play at all," Dipper furthered.

"Yo, Dipper, what are you doing?" Wendy whispered to her boyfriend, who winked back in response. Soon enough, Wendy's brain clicked into place and she knew what her younger lover was up to.

"Oh yeah," She spoke up, "I bet after that gig he hasn't even picked up a guitar."

"Yeah, bet he can't even play an A Chord," Penn joined in.

"Bet he can't even sing anymore," Sashi added.

"I can still play," Marco said angrily.

"Oh please," Dipper said.

"I can and I'll prove it!" Marco said firmly, walking over the the band equipment and searching through it. Finally, he spotted what he was searching for: A guitar case. Picking it up, he placed it on the ground and opened it, revealing a black acoustic guitar. Taking it out, he sat down on a chair in the center of the room and rested it on his knee. He took out a guitar pick from his pants pocket and positioned it on the first string before strumming it, hitting a very sour note.

"Oh that's beautiful. Beautiful," Dipper said sarcastically, "Hey Star, you know you were right, this guy's great," He continued on as Marco tuned the guitar but kept hitting sour notes.

"Oh no, it can't be, is that a guitar or is it a harp from heaven?" Wendy said, making everyone laugh but Star, who had a look of sadness and concern for her boyfriend on her face.

Marco continued to hit sour notes as the group continued to laugh at him, taunt him.

"Come on, Marco, keep looking for what you're looking for," Penn called out, "Go on, that's it, you got it. It's the key of S. He found it!" He said, causing the group to laugh once again.

Just as they were about to start another round of taunting, Marco struck a hard chord, gaining the group's attention. He then strummed the strings once before he patted the front of the guitar thrice, as if tapping out a beat. He then began to strum a western riff as his eyes closed shut, listening to the sound of the music he played and loved so dearly.

" _ **Step in front of a runaway train**_  
 _ **just to feel alive again**_  
 _ **Pushing forward through the night,**_  
 _ **aching chest and blurry sight**_

 _ **It's so far, so far away**_  
 _ **It's so far, so far away**_

 _ **Cold wind blows into the skin**_  
 _ **Can't believe the state you're in**_

 _ **It's so far, so far away**_  
 _ **It's so far, so far away**_

 _ **Who are you trying to impress, steadily creating a mess?**_

 _ **Step in front of a runaway train,  
just to feel alive again  
**_

 _ **Pushing forward through the night,  
aching chest and blurry sight,  
Aching chest and blurry sight,  
aching chest and blurry sight.**_

 _ ***Interlude***_

 _ **Step in front of a runaway train,  
just to feel alive again  
**_

 _ **Pushing forward through the night,  
aching chest and blurry sight,  
Aching chest and blurry sight,  
aching chest and blurry sight.**_"

As soon as Marco finished his song, Dipper walked up to him and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Guys... We just found our new Lead Guitarist."

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter! This was a lot of work so a review would be much appreciated to show your support. Anyway, thanks for reading and I will see you all later!**


	3. Sleepover

The night soon fell upon the town of Echo Creek as Marco awaited his new...group of people to arrive; he had recently agreed to a sleepover while his parents were away on business. He was knowingly keen on using the words "friends" and "band" in the same sentence.

Marco proficiently practiced his knife twirling to perfection as he waited. He was a big fan of the oldie films: specifically Grindhouse, Spaghetti Westerns, and Wuxia/Chambara. They – along with Star, of course – were his sole solace in the life he was currently in right now. He'd just hoped that the future wasn't like Mad Max or The Warriors, because no matter how super it would've been...it would've been super SCARY as well.

The doorbell rang out and Marco placed away his butterfly knife as he headed downstairs. He threw the door open and his girlfriend standing at the entrance with a smile on her face (using the term "girlfriend" loosely here),

"Hi, Marco."

"Hey, Star."

Both shared a hug before she entered inside, "So, how's everybody? Are they coming?" Marco asked.

"No, but I will." Star jokingly jested, hoping that her boyfriend (again, using the term "boyfriend" loosely here) would get the rather juvenile joke.

Marco was disappointed at first, but he took in what Star actually said and turned to face her, a sly smirk growing. The couple instantly leaped at each other and began locking lips, a first for them both; it took one simple joke for them both to get horny in a split second. Unfortunately, it couldn't come at the worst possible moment.

Dipper silently sauntered inside and was greeted with a gratuitous make-out session. He softly shuddered to myself and reached inside his sleeping bag for his red whistle, deciding enough was enough.

TWEET!

Marco and Star screamed and clung onto each other for dear life, both frowning upon a chuckling Dipper, "I'm here, boss."

"I can see that, Mason. Although you didn't have to be a dick and ruin me and Marco's moment," Star said in frustration.

"Super dick move, dude," Marco added with a glare.

"And look how many fucks I give," Dipper said, pointing at his now deadpan face.

"Now, Dippy, play nice," Came the voice of Wendy as she walked in the door.

"Alright, I'll let the lovebirds make out or whatever," He said, walking up to his girlfriend and gave her a peck on the cheek.

Just then, they heard a pair of car doors close outside and Penn and Sashi walked in, carrying a few cases of various forms of alcohol. Beer, wine, vodka, and cider were included among their haul.

"Ladies and gents, we bring you the gift of alcoholic beverages," Penn said as if he were a circus ringmaster as he brought the drinks into the kitchen and set them down on the island.

"Aw hell yeah! Time to get wasted, bitches!" Wendy exclaimed, grabbing a beer and popping the top before chugging the bottle's contents.

* * *

 **-Two Hours Later-**

It was nearly midnight as the newly formed band continued to drink, talk, and have a good time. After an hour of playing video games, they decided to play a classic game held at parties: Truth or Dare. They had been playing for a good few minutes and things were really staring to heat up.

"Alright Penn, truth or dare?" Wendy asked.

"Truth."

"How many times do you and Sashi have sex in a week?"

"A week? Let me think for a moment," He said as he thought for a minute, "On average I'd say... ten times."

At that moment, all the others men booed in disbelief.

"No way, man," Dipper said with a scoff.

"I'm with Dipper here, Penn," Marco said with a smile.

"Nah, I can believe it. Sashi told me they do it twice a day on weekends," Star said, taking a sip from her beer.

"Thrice if it's a holiday," Sashi added, taking a big swig from her drink.

"Bloody hell," Marco gasped, his jaw dropped. "How the hell are you two even still standing?"

Penn merely shrugged at that.

"High libido and a crap-ton of stamina I guess," he replied casually. "So who's turn is it now?"

"My turn, I think," Marco said.

"Alright, Marco. Truth or Dare?" Penn asked with a grin.

"Truth."

"Alright then, what exactly happened between you and your old band to make them kick you out?" He asked, causing Marco to stop just before he took a sip from his beer. He then lowered it and set it back on the coffee table, a look of sadness now making up his face. Seeing this, Star placed a hand on his to comfort him.

"Hey, it's okay, Marco. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No, no, it's fine. It's just a... difficult subject for me," He said slowly before taking a deep breath and sighing, steeling himself for the story he was about to tell, "It all started about a year ago. Me and my friends at the time were in a rock band together. Me on Lead Vocals/Guitar, Robbie on Rhythm Guitar, Kevin on Bass, Oscar on Keyboard, and Tom on Drums. We called ourselves Team Satisfaction."

"Doesn't that sound kinda gay?" Mason asked, getting some looks from everyone, "Not that there's anything wrong with that," He said defensively.

"That was kinda what we were going for. Kevin wanted to have the gayest band name ever. Unfortunately, 'Coldplay' was already taken."

"Boom! Shots fired!" Wendy exclaimed with a hard chuckle.

"So what happened?" Penn asked, his curiosity peaked along with everyone else.

At those words, Marco's face once again turned solemn.

"Well at first things were going great, we played some pretty good gigs, got our names posted all over the chatrooms, but then... well, one way we were performing this gig that was going to make us legends in the musical community, during our performance a fire broke out due to some faulty pyrotechnics. After that things went downhill faster than the Flash could run."

"Holy shit," Wendy gasped, a sentiment shared by the rest of the group.

"After our name was smirched, my so-called friends blamed me for the whole thing,just because they needed someone TO blame." Marco continued, his fists clenched in anger. "Soon after, that they kicked me out of the band, stole my songbook, and cut their losses. Within a single week my name was tarnished and it wasn't long before rumors began to spread, ones that made it look like I started the damn fire. And the rest, as they say, is history."

"...Marco." Star muttered, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as she found no other words to say.

"Shit, dude, I'm sorry to hear that," Wendy said sadly.

"Yeah, I'm sorry to have even brought it up," Penn apologized.

"Don't be sorry. I think I needed that," Marco said, placing a hand on Star's before taking one last big gulp of his drink and setting down the empty can before getting up, a look of gloom still on his face.

"Listen, I think I'm gonna turn in. You guys can crash down here if you want, I'm going to bed," He finished, walking towards the staircase and going up to his room. The group was silent for a few minutes as they thought about the story that Marco had told them before Star got up from her seat and followed Marco up the stairs, a look of slight worry on her face.

"Think he's gonna be okay?" Mason asked concernedly.

"Man, I hope so," Wendy replied, sharing the same concern. "After going through something like that, I'm just surprised he's able to trust ANYONE again."

"We should probably turn in too." Penn suggested, stifling a yawn. "Got a lot of stuff to do in the morning."

Sashi on the other hand, had other ideas.

"Oh Penn..." she whispered, pulling out a pair of panties from her pocket with a seductive smirk on her face.

"Actually, I think I forgot something in the car. Sash, mind helping me out with that?" He said a little quick as he grabbed Sashi's hand and rushed out the door, leaving Wendy and Mason alone in the living room, looking at each other before Mason pulled out a bag of weed from his pocket.

"Wanna get fucked up?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Fuck yeah!" She said with excitement.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile-**

Star climbed up the stairs to Marco's second floor and made her way to Marco's bedroom door.

"Marco?" she called out, giving the door a small knock before opening it slightly. "You okay?"

But of course what she saw next was anything BUT okay, staring out of the window while sitting on the floor beneath the foot of his bed was Marco... and he had the most depressing look on his face that Star had ever seen.

"... I guess not then." she sighed, closing the door behind her as she walked over towards him. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Hmm?" Marco uttered, finally acknowledging Star's presence as he lifted his head a little. "Oh... sorry Star, got a little lost in thought."

Of course Star wasn't buying that.

"Look," she said. "I wanna apologize of behalf of everyone. We didn't know that... well... we didn't realize things went so badly for you in the past."

"Look, Star, it's not a big deal."

"Yes, it is, Marco. I've never seen you this depressed before."

"That's because you've only known me three days, Star."

"Still, I hate seeing you sad, Marco. Where's the boy who I had endless conversations with over burgers? Where's the boy I danced beside to the audience of a crowded restaurant?" She asked before pausing as she got closer to him before saying in a near whisper, "Where's the boy who made love to me?" She asked.

At those words, Marco perked up and began to blush a little at the way she nearly whispered those words into his ear.

"There we go," Star said playfully, giving his arm a soft punch. "There's the Marco I know and boink!"

"Do you really have to say it like that?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow.

However it would have seemed Star was on a role in her speech and chose to ignore that comment.

"Clearly this is a sign that you and I were destined to meet," she said, looking out of the window in a dramatic manner. "A boy down on his luck and a girl with the means to bring him the justice he needs."

But that statement only made Marco even more confused.

"Uhhhh..." he uttered, finding no words to respond to such a statement.

"Marco, I think it's time we show everyone finds out just how wrong they were about you," Star continued. "No body fucks with mah man and gets away with it!"

Fake southern accent aside, Marco was now starting to see where Star was going with this.

"Yeah... Yeah, I think that could work!" Marco exclaimed, perking up as he put the pieces of the plan together.

"I'm not just gonna sit about, moping around! I'm gonna show those bastards up and show them who the real failures are!" He proclaimed.

"That's the spirit!" Star said with a fist pump, getting excited herself.

"First, I'll get out my lyrics book and then we'll start rehearsing immediately!" Marco said.

"Or..." Star began, sitting on the bed and spreading her legs, showing Marco her underwear as she gave him "Come hither" eyes. Seeing this, Marco corrected himself.

"We'll start rehearsing... in 8 hours!" He said as he came up to Star and began to passionately kiss her as she began frantically taking off his and her clothes.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. Big thanks to Moheart7 for co-writing it with me. Please don't forget to leave a review, follow and favorite. Until next time, I'll see you guys later.  
**


	4. A Day In The Life

After waking up to find a naked Star cuddled up against his chest, Marco couldn't help but smile at the sight. After lightly shaking her awake and the both of them getting dressed, they went down stairs to find Mason and Wendy passed out on the couch, stubs of joints littering the coffee table. Walking up to the duo, Marco nudged them awake and they groggily awoke.

"Yo, what up?" Wendy asked tiredly, still mildly stoned.

"I wanted to get started on rehearsal as soon as possible. You guys have your instruments?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah, we have Wendy's drum kit in my trunk. Penn should have the rest of the equipment in his car," Mason answered.

Looking around, Marco noticed that neither Penn nor Sashi were in the living room.

"Where are they anyway?" Marco asked.

* * *

Penn heard a tapping on the glass of his car window. Stirring from his sleep, he looked down to see that he was shirtless, his pants were undone, and he had a passed out and half-naked Sashi lying on top of him. He slowly moved out from under her as another tap came to the window. He rolled down the fogged-over window to find it was Marco and Star tapping at the glass.

"I think I now know why fish hate that," Penn said hazily.

"Up and at 'em, Zero! We've got some rehearsals to get through," Star exclaimed.

"Okay, shhh! Just give us a few minutes to get ready. Sashi's pretty irritable when she wakes up," He said quietly.

"Get your ass back over here, Zero," They heard Sashi's voice say. Apparently she talks in her sleep.

"We'll be out in a few minutes," Penn reiterated as he closed the car window.

* * *

They stood in Marco's garage, their instruments set up around the place. Marco walked up to the mic and took his pick out of the strings of the electric guitar as he looked to his band mates. Penn on Rhythm Guitar, Sashi on Bass, Dipper on the Keyboard, and Wendy on Drums. Star stood to the side, giving Marco a thumbs up and a supportive smile as he turned back to the microphone. Taking a deep breath, he let out a deep sigh before he spoke.

"Count us in, Wendy," He said.

Wendy then raised her drumsticks and tapped them together before she began to drum out a slow, steady beat, followed by Sashi plucking a secondary beat on her bass. After getting a feel for the beat, Marco leaned into the mic and began to sing.

" _ **Good morning, Rita, don't you miss your wine?**_  
 _ **Don't you miss your body being next to mine?**_  
 _ **Got a hollow heart and I'm feeling wrong**_  
 _ **Got a dollar in my pocket for a midnight song**_

 _ **When your lover's gone and the music's over**_  
 _ **Oh no, don't wanna be alone any more**_  
 _ **When your lover's gone, can't rest at night**_  
 _ **Threading through the crowd in a low-tavern light**_

 _ **Yeah, she's gone, yeah, she's gone**_  
 _ **My Rita was a light in my bright shining morning**_  
 _ **Yeah, she's gone, yeah, she's gone**_  
 _ **My Rita Mae Young**_

 _ **Good morning, Rita, hope you're doing right**_  
 _ **I couldn't give you what you wanted, but you stayed on my mind**_  
 _ **Got a tired heart, and it's been too long**_  
 _ **Put a dollar in the jukebox for a midnight song**_  
 _ **When your lover is gone, there's cloud in your eyes**_  
 _ **It might be the bourbon, all the lies that you hide**_  
 _ **When the evenings done, that feels warm**_  
 _ **The soft southern air and a jukebox morning**_

 _ **Yeah, she's gone, yeah, she's gone**_  
 _ **My Rita was a light in my bright shining morning**_  
 _ **Yeah, she's gone, yeah, she's gone**_  
 _ **My Rita Mae Young**_

 _ **My blue-eyed woman**_  
 _ **Oh, she's gone**_  
 _ **My blue-eyed woman**_

 _ **Good morning, Rita, don't you miss your wine?**_  
 _ **Don't you miss your body being next to mine?**_  
 _ **Got a hollow heart and I'm feeling wrong**_  
 _ **Got a dollar in my pocket for a midnight song**_

 _ **Yeah, she's gone, yeah, she's gone**_  
 _ **My Rita was a light in my bright shining morning**_  
 _ **Yeah, she's gone, yeah, she's gone**_  
 _ **My Rita Mae Young**_

 _ **Yeah, she's gone, yeah, she's gone**_  
 _ **My Rita was a light in my bright shining morning**_  
 _ **Yeah, she's gone, yeah, she's gone**_  
 _ **My Rita Mae Young child**_

 _ **Long gone, child**_  
 _ **Come back, woman**_  
 _ **Come back, woman**_

 _ **Yeah, she's gone, yeah, she's gone**_  
 _ **My Rita was a light in my bright shining morning**_  
 _ **Yeah, she's gone, yeah, she's gone**_  
 _ **My Rita Mae Young.**_ "

As the song finished, Star let out a loud cheer and applauded their magnificent practice performance.

"Woo! Awesome job, guys!" She cheered, running up to Marco and gripping him in a tight hug, which he gladly reciprocated.

"Damn right it was!" Penn chuckled. "Seriously Marco, that was some killer shredding."

"Thanks guys," Marco replied, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "But come on, don't sell yourselves short, you guys rock WAY better than my old band."

At those words, the whole group couldn't help but smile with a small hint of embarrassment, coming from Marco that was definitely one of his better compliments. All of a sudden a muffled buzz emanated from Mason's pocket and he soon found himself taking to someone on his cell.

"Hello?" he said, the voice of his contact inaudible to the rest of the band. "Oh hey, Krieger, how's it going?"

"Who's Krieger?" Marco muttered, curious as to what was happening but also keeping his voice low enough so he wasn't interrupting anything.

"Mason's Weed Guy," Wendy sighed, rolling her eyes. " Don't get me wrong, he gives Dipper some pretty good shit but... well let's just say he's kind of a weirdo."

This statement of course resulted in a fair few nods of agreement from some of the other members of the band. Marco on the other hand only seemed to be even more confused, just what kind of a weirdo was this person exactly? Whatever the case, it seemed as though Mason was on friendly terms at least, judging from how he was talking to him over the phone.

"Okay, so same time, same place then?" he asked, smiling as he got a positive answer. "Alright, I'll see you in 20."

And with that final note he hung up his cell and put the cell back in his pocket, turning to the rest of the band with a look of seriousness.

"Listen guys, I better get going, got some work to take care of," he said. "You mind if I keep my instrument here, Marco?"

"No, go on ahead," Marco said dismissively.

"Cool, thanks, Marco," Mason said before walking up to Wendy and giving her a small kiss on the lips, "Later, babe."

"Later," She replied as he ran off out of the garage. Soon though, Penn, Wendy, and Sashi were getting their stuff together.

"Where are you guys going?" Marco asked the other band members.

"Well I've got a day job to go do," Penn said.

"I'm going to the gym, work out some stress," said Sashi.

"And I better head home, check up on my brothers and dad," Wendy answered.

Then, before Marco could say another word, either to protest or even say goodbye, the other band members ditched their instruments and left, leaving him alone with Star.

"Is this gonna be a regular thing?" taking note on how quickly everyone left. "I mean, just in case I come back from the bathroom or something and find no one else here?"

Star couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Oh Marco, you worry too much," she giggled, playfully pinching his cheek. "I know we need to practice and everything, but we all got our own lives to live too, you know."

At those words, Marco couldn't help but sigh.

"Okay, fair enough," he muttered. "I suppose you need to bail too then?"

At those words, Star couldn't help but give him a seductive smirk, grab him by the scruff of his shirt, and bring him closer to her face.

"Actually..." she whispered in his ear. "I'm free ALL day."

Hearing this, Marco's instincts caused him to gulp. Knowing full well just what was about to happen, he then merely sighed in defeat, not even caring what the others were doing at this point.

* * *

 **-A Short Time Later-**

Penn arrived at a street corner somewhere in downtown Echo Creek. He looked about at the bustling intersection and smiled as he set up a small table that he was carrying in front of him. He then took out a deck of playing cards from his back pocket and began to cut and shuffle them on the table before taking three from the deck: A Queen of Diamonds, a King of Hearts, and the Ace of Spades. He then cleared his throat a bit, dawning his character.

"Step right up! Step right up! Try to find the Ace of Spades and double the amount you bet! Anyone can do it!" He announced like a carnival announcer as he shuffled the three cards about the table at a quick pace.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile-**

Wendy soon arrived at her house and opened the door. The first thing she noticed was the sent of booze in the air, and it wasn't just her (She checked). Following the smell of cheap alcohol into the living room, Wendy was not surprised to find the hulking mass of muscle that was her father passed out on the sofa, the TV still on, a bottle of whiskey hanging from his right hand, and a blanket over his lower body. She merely sighed at the sight of him.

Ever since the logging camp that her father worked for shut down its operation, her dad's been unemployed with only Wendy and her younger brothers to help out around the house and make end's meet. But since they were under-aged, they couldn't get proper jobs to help out. However, Wendy knows that with the help of the band, she can change all that. So, taking the bottle from her father's hand, she pulled up the blanket and tucked in her father. She then looked at the bottle before giving a shrug, opening it and taking a swig.

"Not like he's gonna miss it," she sighed, gulping the whisky down.

* * *

As for her boyfriend, he had a different way of making ends meet. Once he arrived at a certain house on the poorer side of town, his first course of action was to knock three times of the side door of the garage. After a few moments, another voice echoed from the other side.

"That's not the secret knock!" it said, instantly annoying the teen.

"Damn it, Krieger, open the door!" he snapped back, resulting in the clear sound of rushed movement from inside the garage.

Seconds later, the door snapped open, revealing an average built man with a brown head of hair and full beard,wearing a white labcoat and a nervous look upon his face. This was Krieger, Dipper's weed supplier and obvious local nutcase.

"What have I told you about using my real name!?" he snapped.

"You've always said that WASN'T you're real name!" Mason retorted, earning a confused stare from the man.

"Did I?" he asked confusingly, scratching his beard in thought before shrugging off the issue in a hurry. "Alright, come on in."

With a heavy sigh, Mason obliged. Now many would often ask why Dipper would always get his supply of weed from this OBVIOUS lunatic, but in the end he would always answer with the fact that the type of weed Krieger grows is without a doubt the best shit you can buy.

"So what have we got today, man?" Mason asked, eyeing the rows of plastic bags and potted plants lining the walls of the garage. "I mean, this isn't going to be like the LAST batch, is it? 'Cause I hear a lot of people are still getting hallucinations even after coming off that stuff."

"Oh of course not!" Krieger scoffed. "That was just a small mutation in the growth is all. What I have for you is a bit more... elegant."

At those words, Krieger went to a metal worktable and pulled out one of the attached drawers, after which he took out three large plastic bags of mulched marijuana for Mason to see.

"Now, we have the standard 'Monkey Haze', a fresh patch of 'Brain Spasm' or my personal fave, the 'Kreiger Krunch'" he said, listing off each of the bags. "Take your pick?"

Of course, Dipper still remained unsure.

"What happened to the 'Pot of Greed'?" he asked, earning another scoff from his supplier.

"Pft, 'Pot of Greed's' for pussies!" he retorted. "Come on, I haven't got all day, man,"

Realizing that he was taking too long here, Mason eventually picked out a few small bags of each. With his supplies packed, Dipper made his way towards the door.

"See you next time, Krieg!" he called out, closing the door behind him and leaving the crazy old man alone in the garage.

"See ya," Krieger replied, muttering under his breath after he was sure Dipper was gone. "...you cocky little bitch."

* * *

 **About an hour later...**

At the Echo Creek Boxing Gym, Sashi was working a sandbag while dressed in her workout gear consisting of a grey tank top and black sweatpants. She worked on her rhythm and her technique. Three straight jabs and an uppercut. Right haymaker followed by left hook. Bob and weave around her opponent's attacks then hit with a powerful counter punch.

She was busy trying to get out all of her frustrations as she pounded into the leather bag. She tried to focus on nothing but the impact of her fist on the sandbag, the sound of flesh and bone hitting hard leather. But no matter how hard she tried, her focus drifted from the sandbag, and the impact on the leather turned to the sound of skin-on-skin. Her mind drifted to more... primal thoughts.

"No!" she quickly said, slapping herself in the face to wake herself up from the daydream. "Come on girl, get a hold of yourself!"

Deciding to take a break from the bag, Sashi decided to take her mind off by attempting some different exercises. Before long she had done at least a dozen push-ups, focusing all her efforts on using the strength of her arms to lift herself from the ground.

"Up, down, up, down," she grunted, her focus soon turning a bit more... lewd. "Up... and down... up and... DAMN IT!"

Her shout gained some unwanted attention around the gym. Looking around at the stares she was getting, she felt a twinge of embarrassment as she tried coming up with a quick excuse.

"I, uh, didn't break my personal best," She said in a quick lie, which the other gym-goers seemed to buy as they went back to their respective workouts.

Sighing, Sashi got up from the floor and went off to a corner where she took out her cellphone. Looking up her contacts, she quickly came to Penn's name and dialed his number.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile-**

"And that's another loss I'm afraid. Better luck next time, sir," Penn said as he took his customer's money and put it in his back pocket just as his phone began ringing. Taking it out and looking at the collar ID, Penn gave a small sigh.

"Hey, Sash," He said, answering the phone.

"You, me, your place, NOW!" She demanded on the other end of the line.

"Sash," Penn sighed, rolling his eyes. "I don't think now's the best time."

Of course Penn was looking at the potential new "customer" looking his direction as he said this. However he quickly changed his mind once he saw that said customer had a shiny gold badge attached to his belt.

"Uh... scratch that, I'll be home in 10," he said, quickly hanging up his cell and packing up all of his stuff. "Sorry folks, business has closed down for the day!"

Thankfully, Penn had managed to pack everything away just in time before the cop arrived and was already running as fast as he could down the street.

* * *

Around the same time, Mason was doing a bit of business of his own in a more discrete location in the local park.

"Pleasure doing business with you," he said, accepting the small stack of money before giving his customer one of the smaller bags of weed he had in his possession.

"This better be better than that LAST batch you sold me," his customer complained, taking a small whiff of the contents of the bag. "Last time, it was a little too mellow."

"Trust me, Mr. Sherman, you won't be complaining about this stuff," Dipper replied casually, brushing the pudgy man's complaint off.

Seeing that there was nothing else to say, Mason's customer gave him a concerned frown, pocketed his weed and walked away. And thus became the usual routine with Mason's line of business. People ask for the goods, he accepts the cash. Equivalent exchange; no problems. But then...

"Dipper?" said a familiar voice, one that Dipper instantly recognized as he turned his head around to see who it was.

Sure enough, it was one of the few people that he didn't want to see right now. One of the few people allowed to call him by his nickname. His twin sister, Mabel Pines.

She stood there looking at him as he did her. Mabel was dressed in a fluffy pink sweater with a stitching of a rainbow over her name on the front, along with with a blue skirt that came to her mid-thigh and pink shoes with white socks.

"Mabel." Mason replied, with a heavy sigh, his face turning solemn as his twin walked closer towards him.

"I see you're doing THIS again." Mabel pointed out, her expression more hurt than angry as she spotted the small bag peeking out of her brother's pocket.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes," Mason retorted, crossing his arms sternly.

At those words, Mabel couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, her disappointment reaching high levels.

"Come on, bro," she said. "This has GOT to end."

"It'll end when mom and dad stop complaining about my choices!" He said, almost yelling, "When you started dating girls, mom and dad were supportive of you. But when I stared dating Wendy, they got all uppity because of her dad lost his job. But you know something? I love her despite that. I don't care about her flaws. That's why I left home, Mabel. Because I apparently made the 'wrong choice', while you can do no wrong!" He finished.

Mabel was speechless for a minute, unable to say a thing after her brother's outburst. Just as she was about to speak, another voice spoke up.

"Is there a problem here?" A female voice asked. Turning around, both twins were faced with a girl of about fifteen with long blonde hair that reached her lower back. She wore a purple outfit with brown boots and a white purse over her right shoulder. This was Pacifica Northwest, Mabel's girlfriend.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Northwest herself," Mason responded coldly.

"Get bent, Pines," Pacifica replied.

"Now come on, Pacfica," Mabel said quickly, stepping between the two. "We don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

At those words, Dipper's jaw clenched while Pacifica merely rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on it wasn't THAT bad," she said casually.

"You fucking bit me!" Dipper snapped.

"Oh please," Pacifica scoffed. "It's not like you get any better treatment with that red-neck girlfriend of yours"

"Call Wendy a redneck again. See what fucking happens!" Mason said angrily.

"I'd like to see you try something, you drug-pedaling prick!" Pacifica countered with just as much fury in her voice and facial features.

The two were now in a stand-off, glaring daggers at one another; their teeth gritted.

"ENOUGH!"

Thankfully there was ONE thing the two had in common, thus being the sole reason why they weren't trying to kill each other at this point.

"Both of you, please calm down," Mabel begged, literally pushing the two of them apart. "I can't stand this."

Now it was Mason's turn to roll his eyes.

"Whatever Mabel," he said, turning his back. "I'm outta here."

"You're not alone, Dipper! You don't have to be alone in the world," Mabel called after him, making him stop in his tracks. Mabel thought that he may turn around and talk to her, but he just stood there for a few seconds before continuing on his way, leaving the park.

"I honestly don't get your determination, Mabel," Pacifica said, putting a reassuring hand on Mabel's shoulder. "I mean seriously, when are you just gonna learn that he's not worth the effort."

At those words, Mabel couldn't help but give Pacifica a soft glare.

"Well, never," She said bluntly. "He's my brother."

At those words, Pacifica let out a heavy sigh. It may have been Mabel's good heart that she was fond of the most, but sometimes the care she still had for Mason was all too irritating to witness, in her opinion it was only causing the girl more pain than what it's worth.

* * *

Back with Star and Marco, after a fair few hours of "alone time" at Marco's place, the two of them were currently enjoying a nice walk through the streets, the sun setting a brilliant orange in the distance.

"You are just gonna LOVE this place, Marco," Star said excitedly. "Not only is this club one of the most underrated place in town, it also has some of the best Chocolate schnapps you'll ever taste."

"Can't wait," He said with a smile as she cuddled up to him as they approached a brick building with a neon sign up front. There was a line up front at the door with a bouncer guarding it with a taciturn attitude to him. Just as Marco was about to go into the line, Star stopped him.

"Up, up, up, we're not going in that way," She said as she walked up to the bouncer with a smile on her face.

"Yo, Chunk," she said, greeting the large man with a smile. "Long time no see."

At first Marco thought the man was about to rip Star apart for speaking to him so casually, judging from the angry look upon his face, however that expression quickly relaxed and he gave her a small smile.

"Hey, Star," he said, giving the girl a small fist pump. "How are ya?"

"Good, good," Star replied. "How's the family?"

"As good as they can be," Chunk chuckled. "Who's your friend?"

"This's Marco, my new boyfriend," She said with a smile, hugging Marco's arm.

"Hi," Marco said a bit nervously, still intimidated by the large man.

"Well he seems like a good guy," Chunk said with a smile, standing aside to let the two in, "You two have a good time," he said.

"Thanks, Chunk. Say hi to the wife for me," Star said with a broad smile before she and Marco went inside the club.

Once inside, Marco was met with a wondrous sight.

"Whoa," he exclaimed, his voice barley audible over the music screaming over the speakers above the nearby dance-floor.

"Marco Diaz," Star said, her smile so wide it would make a clown jealous. "Welcome to The Bounce Lounge!"

The atmosphere inside the club was positively electrifying. Loud music, colorful lights, and that small hint of danger that caused people to come to places like this was everywhere inside the large club. Everyone inside looked to be having a good time, and the mood was almost contagious to Marco, who couldn't help but smile widely at the sights and sounds. Just before he could comment on the wonder that he was feeling, a voice called out to the cute couple.

"Yo, guys, over here!" The voice called over the loud music.

Looking around, Marco and Star caught sight of Penn, Sashi, Mason, and Wendy over at a small table.

"What's up, guys?" Star replied, happily giving them all a fist-bump as she and Marco joined them at the table.

"Good day?" Marco asked curiously, adding his piece.

At those words everyone basically came up with the same answer.

"Eh, nothing special," Wendy replied.

"All good here," Penn added, earning a smirk from Sashi in response.

"Can't complain," Dipper commented, acting pretty stoic about the question.

"So you guys come here often?" Marco asked.

"At least once a week. Mostly when we've had long days," Star said.

"Do you guys mind? I love this song," Sashi interrupted as the group turned and watched and listened to the band on stage playing.

" _ **I'm like a star**_  
 _ **I'm burning out fast**_  
 _ **I try to shine**_  
 _ **But it's never gonna last**_  
 _ **Can't you see me just letting you down?**_  
 _ **With all my friends, I'll make a picture**_  
 _ **But in the morning I'll be gone**_

 _ **I'm missing you during the days**_  
 _ **When the morning comes, I can't stay**_  
 _ **If you saw me now, I wouldn't grant your wish**_

 _ **I'm like a star**_  
 _ **I'm burning out fast**_  
 _ **I try to shine**_  
 _ **But it's never gonna last**_  
 _ **Can't you see me just letting you down?**_  
 _ **With all my friends, I'll make a picture**_  
 _ **But in the morning I'll be gone**_ "

As the band on stage bowed to the audience, everyone inside the club applauded their amazing performance.

"Hey, those guys weren't half bad," Marco chuckled.

"Yet another reason why I brought you here, Marco," Star pointed out with a grin.

However Marco merely raised an eyebrow at that.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Dude, the Bounce Lounge may be underrated, but it's one of the best joints in town for local bands to play," Mason explained.

"And we figured that bringing you here would give you a taste of what things are going to be like from here on out," Penn added.

"Think of it Marco," Star said gleefully. "Standing on that stage, playing to our hearts content, feels nostalgic, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it really does," Marco said with a smile as the waitress brought them and an assortment of soft drinks, one for each of them.

"Thanks, Cindy," Star said cheerfully as the waitress walked away and they all took their respective drinks. As they did, a man walked out onto the stage and up to the microphone.

"What a great performance, am I right? Let's give 'em another big hand!" He said as the audience applauded the previous band, "And now, the band you've been waiting all evening to see. The one, the only, Team Satisfaction!" The announcer yelled. Upon hearing this, Marco froze before he dropped his glass, it falling to the floor and shattering.

"Marco?" Star uttered, noticing her boyfriend's reaction. "What's the matter?"

But Marco didn't say a word, instead all he did was star up at the darkened stage, a group of silhouettes emerging from the side and readying themselves for a performance, silhouettes of people he knew all too well. After gazing upon Marco's look of horror for a few brief moments, eventually Star's eyes widened with realization and she too gasped as she looked upon the stage.

"Holy Shit."

* * *

 **Thank you to all of you who are reading. Special thanks to Moheart7 for co-writing this chapter with me. I do not own the rights to any of the songs used in this story. "Rita Mae Young" belongs to The Record Company and "Like A Star" belongs to Mike Krol. Don't forget to leave a review, follow, and favorite. Until next time, this is MaxGentlman1 signing off.**


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